Originally Posted by
StoneByStone
The Taliban and those other groups used the threat of Zionism to recruit people. Part of how Osama bin Laden gained a following was by calling for the elimination of Israel.
That might have played a role too, but at most, it would have hurt the careers of those leaders. I think it's unlikely that would have driven all these people towards extremism.
And the Soviets were very unpopular in the Middle East, both because Muslims fought them during the Cold War, and because they were Atheist. Did the Soviets undermining Westernization help bring the Muslims to extremism? Maybe, but I can't imagine that having much of an impact. It would be like North Korea telling us we have too much Democracy.
I would compare Islamic extremist leaders to the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. Invasions were never about religion, until adding religion made the propaganda even stronger. Before the first Crusade, Catholics and Muslims got along well. But then when the Church wanted to take Jerusalem, all of a sudden Muslims were the enemies of Christ. Then when the Church wanted to attack the Eastern Orthodox Christians, the Muslims were the good guys again, so that the Catholics could team up with them.
It's kind of like that with groups like Salafists and Wahhabists. The religion is there, but it's not the cause, it's only there as extra propaganda for wars that aren't really about religion.
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